Device for checking golf swing



Jan. 1, 1963 E. w. RAMSEY DEVICE FOR CHECKING GOLF SWING Filed July 20.1959 INVENTOR iPamqy Z'rwest (d. w

ATTORNEY Wash.

Filed July 20, 1959, Ser. No. 828,316 7 Claims. (Cl. 273-186) Thisinvention relates to a device for checking a golf swing, and especiallypertains to a device adapted to be applied to the head of a golf club, awood in particular, for indicating to a golfer after a ball has been hitthe exact point on the face of the club at which the ball was struck.The knowledge thus gained guides a golfer in determining changesnecessary to perfect his swing.

For its principal object the invention aims to provide an inexpensivedevice which may be removably applied to the head of a golf club tovisually indicate the point on the face of such head at which the golfball is struck.

As a further particular object the invention aims to provide a device ofthe character described which may be easily and quickly attached to andremoved from the club head and which will in no way mar or otherwiseinjure the head.

The invention has the still further object of providing a device of thecharacter described which, when applied to the club head, will notdiscernibly change the balance or the weight of the club.

A yet additional object is to provide a device of the characterdescribed in which recorded impact spots may be erased at will so that agolfer taking a number of successive swings with practice balls may oneach occasion accurately determine the exact point at which the clubface met the ball.

The foregoing and still additional objects and advantages of theinvention will appear and be understood in the course of the followingdescription and claims, the invention consisting in the novelconstruction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing said embodiment as it appears whenapplied to the head of a golf club.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view drawn to an enlargedscale on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view drawn to a yet larger scaleportraying another embodiment of the invention.

First describing the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, inclusive,it will be seen that there is provided a cup-like body 5 molded from anelastic material, preferably gum rubber, so as to admit of beingstretched, and being formed to such a shape and size that, uponstretching, the same can be pulled onto the head 6 of a golf club. Whenso applied the elastic body suggests a sock completely investing thebottom and the sides of the club head. The open top of the sock is ormay be bordered by a thickened marginal bead 7 arranged, when applied tothe club head, to establish a shouldering grip upon the top of the clubhead, and a strap 8 is also desirably provided, this strap being made anintegral part of the sock and being adapted in use to be caught over theroot portion of the club shank 9. The sock carries a button 10 arrangedto be engaged by an eye 11 formed in the free end of the strap. Thepurpose of the strap is to properly position the sock upon the clubhead. The tensioned bead 7 precludes the sock from becoming accidentallydislodged.

Said sock is or may be composed of a single ply of rubber exceptingalong a generally rectangular portion 3,071,379 Patented Jan. 1, 1963ana thereof overlying the striking face of the club. Here the sock hastwo plies of rubber. The two plies are unattached excepting along themargins which border the bottom and the two side edges of saidrectangular portion. Here the same are vulcanized or otherwise suitablyunited. The rubber composing the inner ply 12 has a color con trastingwith that of the translucent outer ply 13, with the former beingdesirably black and the latter natural. A tab 14 arranged to be graspedbetween the thumb and forefinger of the users hand is presented by theouter ply 13 at a point central to the length of its unattached 1 upperedge.

In the use of the described sock a golfer drives a ball with hiscustomary swing. .As the stroked club head meets the ball the two pliesof rubber adhere to one another at the point of impact, producing a markM readily visible to the eye and thus indicating whether the club headis being swung in the proper groove. It is a characteristic of gumrubber that two sheets of such material when placed one upon the otherand subjected to spot compressive pressure will be caused to adhere oneto the other and exhibit a visible mark at the spot of impact. The useof a translucent outer ply or skin and a colored inner skin makes thismark very pronounced. The mark disappears upon pulling the sheets apart.In the present instance the mark is instantly erased by lifting the tab,as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3, to stretch the outer ply and thuscause the same to be pulled away from the inner ply so as to againproduce a clean face. While I have indicated the sock as having a closedbottom the same could, if desired, be open both at the top and thebottom, in which case a counterpart of the bead 7 should be providedabout the perimeter of the open bottom.

In FIG. 4 I have shown a modified arrangement in which the device isapplied much in the manner of a face patch, relying upon a pressuresensitive adhesive 15 to removably hold an inner ply 16 on the strikingface of the club head. In this modified device an outer ply 17 ispermanently attached to the inner ply 16 along the bottom margin andeach of the side edges 18.

The invention and the manner of its usage is believed to be clear fromthe foregoing detailed description of the illustrated embodiments.Changes in the details of construction can be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and it is accordingly myintention that the hereto annexed claims be given the broadestinterpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for checking a golf swing, a member providing a markingsection composed of two contiguous plies of a flexible sheet materialcharacterized in that the act of pressing said sheets together inconsequence of being struck by a resistant object produces a visiblemark upon a surface of one of the two plies exposed to view, and meansfor removably attaching said member to the head of a golf club overlyingthe striking face thereof so as to occupy an intervening positionbetween said face and a golf ball struck by the club, said sheetmaterial being composed of pure elastic gum rubber so that the producedmark results from one ply adhering to the other in response to saidapplication of pressure, and admits of being separated at will by theact of pulling upon the outer ply on a force line which is longitudinalto and generally in the plane of the ply, causing the impressed mark tobe wholly erased by responsively separating the two plies in consequenceof the stretch action to which the outer ply is subjected in consequenceof said pull.

2. Structure according to claim 1 wherein a hand-engaged tab is providedfor facilitating said separation of the two plies.

3. A device for checking a golf swing comprising two contiguousgenerally rectangular plies each wholly comprised of pure rubber and gumelastic arranged and adapted to be removably applied to the head of agolf club in a position overlying the striking face of the club, saidplies being permanently united against separation along the bottom edgeand both side edges and being otherwise unattached to one another, theelasticity of the material composing said plies permitting the ply whichlies at the outside to be stretched by the act of exerting an upwardpull force upon the unattached edge thereof on a force line which is ina direction longitudinal to and generally in the plane of the ply.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the two plies constitute one wallsection of an elastic sock of a size and shape which admits of beingstretched to tightly invest the club head.

5. The device of claim 4 in which said sock is composed of only a singleply of said gum rubber excepting for said portion thereof arranged tooverlie the striking face of the club head.

4 6. The device of claim 4 having an integral strap adapted to be caughtaround the shank of the golf club for positioning the device relative tothe head.

7. Structure according to claim 1 characterized in that the outer ofsaid two plies is translucent while the inner ply is colored.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,068,691 Moomy July 29, 1913 1,455,579 Evans May 15, 1923 2,116,655Berrittella May 10, 1938 2,495,679 Abrecht et al. Jan. 31, 19502,620,186 Beeafi Dec. 2, 1952 2,660,436 Grossman Nov. 24, 1953 2,714,562Hechtman Aug. 2, 1955 2,912,245 Gardner et a1. Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGNPATENTS 27,518 Great Britain 1896

1. IN A DEVICE FOR CHECKING A GOLF SWING, A MEMBER PROVIDING A MARKINGSECTION COMPOSED OF TWO CONTIGUOUS PLIES OF A FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIALCHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE ACT OF PRESSING SAID SHEETS TOGETHER INCONSEQUENCE OF BEING STRUCK BY A RESISTANT OBJECT PRODUCES A VISIBLEMARK UPON A SURFACE OF ONE OF THE TWO PLIES EXPOSED TO VIEW, AND MEANSFOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING SAID MEMBER TO THE HEAD OF A GOLF CLUB OVERLYINGTHE STRIKING FACE THEREOF SO AS TO OCCUPY AN INTERVENING POSITIONBETWEEN SAID FACE AND A GOLF BALL STRUCK BY THE CLUB, SAID SHEETMATERIAL BEING COMPOSED OF PURE ELASTIC GUM RUBBER SO THAT THE PRODUCEDMARK RESULTS FROM ONE PLY ADHERING TO THE OTHER IN RESPONSE TO SAIDAPPLICATION OF PRESSURE, AND ADMITS